‘Don’t Blame Us’ says Vatican
By George Conger, CEN
It is not the Vatican’s fault that ecumenical relations with the Anglican Communion have soured, Cardinal Walter Kasper has declared. The Anglican Communion’s civil wars over women and gay bishops are the primary obstacles to Catholic-Anglican ecumenical dialogue Cardinal Kasper said in an interview published in L’Osservatore Romano.
Cardinal Kasper, the president of the Pontifical Council for Promoting Christian Unity said in an article published on Nov 15 in the Vatican’s official daily newspapers that ecumenical relations between the Vatican and the Anglican Communion would not be harmed by Anglicanorum Coetibus, the apostolic constitution for Anglicans seeking to join the Catholic Church.
The Archbishop of Canterbury, Dr. Rowan Williams’ Nov. 19-22 visit to Rome “demonstrates that there has been no rupture and reaffirms our common desire to talk to one another at a historically important moment,” he said.
Cardinal Kasper said Dr. Williams telephoned him for an explanation before the constitution was announced. “We talked about the meaning of the new apostolic constitution, and I reassured him about the continuation of our direct dialogue, as indicated by the Second Vatican Council and as the Pope desires.”
Dr. Williams “has maintained a balanced attitude since he was informed” of the constitution. “Our personal relations are friendly and transparent. He is a man of spirituality, a theologian.”
The obstacles to ecumenical dialogue come from the internal tensions in the Anglican world, Cardinal Kasper said. (“In realtà oggi gli unici ostacoli al dialogo ecumenico possono venire dalle tensioni interne al mondo anglicano.”)
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